'Looking forward to representing India': Defence Minister Rajnath Singh leaves for Tajikistan for SCO meet

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday left New Delhi for Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to represent India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government (HoG) meeting scheduled for October 19-20.In a post on X, Rajnath Singh said, Leaving New Delhi for Dushanbe. Looking forward to representing India at the SCO Heads of Government (HoG) meeting in Tajikistan on 19-20 October 2026. Also read: CRPF mulls restoring Army ranks abolished 30 years ago; promotions, Agniveers in focusAccording to the post, the SCO Heads of Government meeting will focus on strengthening cooperation in culture, connectivity, economy, innovation, investment and people to people ties, besides reviewing progress in financial and institutional functioning. The Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is also expected to review the progress of ongoing cooperation initiatives and consider decisions relating to the Organisation's financial and institutional functioning, as per the Ministry of Defence press release.According to the release, India remains actively engaged in various SCO mechanisms and continues to contribute to regional cooperation through initiatives in areas such as start-ups and innovation, digital public infrastructure, and people-to-people exchanges.The meeting will provide an opportunity for India to exchange views with other SCO Member States on advancing practical and mutually beneficial cooperation within the Organisation.The previous CHG meeting was held in Moscow, Russia, on November 18, 2025, where India was represented by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.Earlier in July, as Pakistan is scheduled to host the SCO Summit in 2027, the country indicated that it would extend an invitation to India for the 2027 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, saying it is obligated to invite all member states in its capacity as the host of the summit.The remarks were made by Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi during the weekly media briefing when asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be invited to the SCO Summit.The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) comprises ten member states spanning nearly 36 million square kilometres and is home to more than 3.4 billion people. Collectively, the bloc accounts for around 25 per cent of global GDP and over 15 per cent of world trade. The organisation seeks to strengthen long-term ties of good neighbourliness, friendship and cooperation among its members across areas of mutual interest, guided by the principles and norms of international law.It currently has 10 member states--Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.The organisation also includes two observer states, Afghanistan and Mongolia, along with 15 dialogue partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Egypt, Kuwait, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.